Splat the Cat is a delightful illustrated children's book by Rob Scotton, which is perfect for kids about to start Kindergarten. Follow along as Splat begins his first day of school. At first he has difficulty letting go of home and Mom, but once Scat gets to Cat School, he finds a wonderful batch of new friends. Kids will identify with his insecurities and his little victories during the day.
Rob's whimsical drawings will keep kids attention. They are quirky and fun, and the drawing of Splat after his mom "fixes" his hair is hysterical.
One of the things that I like about the story is that Splat doesn't take "just because" as a valid response from his teacher. That was one phrase I purposely eliminated from my vocabulary when I had kids. In this story, his teacher, Mrs. Wimpydimple, says that cats chase mice. When Splat asks "Why?" his teacher says, "Because." Splat asks "Why? Why? Why?" and his teacher adjourns for lunch.
It turns out that Splat doesn't understand why he's supposed to chase mice, because he has a friend who is a mouse, named Seymour. There is a little incident during lunch where Seymour is chased by some of the other cats, and then turns the tables. The real twist happens later when he helps Mrs. Wimpydimple open the milk cabinet for snack time. When class resumes, she changes the chalkboard to say that cats don't chase mice.
I think the lessons of this little book are great for kids. First, school isn't as scary as you think, new friends are wonderful to make, and just because someone says it is so, doesn't mean that they can't be wrong.
Splat the Cat is a fun illustrated children's book with a great message for the Kindergarten, first grade group. My only caveat is that the language is too advanced for the age group the story is best suited for, but as a book to be read by a parent to a child, it is a blast.
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